Illustrative Sarasota story: replace a heat pump without losing the thread

Fictional starting point

A household in a fictional older home in the City of Sarasota has a heat pump that no longer keeps up. Two licensed contractors offer to replace it, each with a different brand and a different capacity.

Decision record

1. Ask both contractors to assess the house first, so each quote starts from the same facts about the existing equipment, ductwork and electrical supply.
2. Ask each who sized the system and what was measured, and have the capacity written into the quote.
3. Check each license class and number on the DBPR licensing portal.
4. Note that the City of Sarasota publishes a change out permit application that asks for equipment type, tonnage, SEER, placement, construction value and contractor registration numbers, and that the small-work exemption excludes mechanical work.
5. Ask the building office what inspection follows, and write the answer down.
6. Ask each manufacturer's published warranty terms for the quoted model, and note any registration window.

Illustrative outcome

The household can compare two quotes that describe the same house, the same scope and the same permit responsibilities. In the proposed tracker, a permit application would show as noted, not approved, until the contractor reports the approval, and an installation would not count as accepted until an inspection is recorded. No price, permit result, rating, schedule or project outcome is promised.